Cockerill blasts 'cheating' Sharks

Leicester Tiger' argumentative boss Richard Cockerill is likely to land himself in hot water after yet another unreserved and contentious public outburst.

Leicester Tigers' argumentative boss Richard Cockerill is likely to land himself in hot water after yet another unreserved and contentious public outburst.

Cockerill openly accused Sale Sharks of 'cheating' at a post-match briefing in the wake of his team's 30-23 Premiership win at Welford Road on Saturday.

The victory, which briefly saw his side move into the top four on the standings, was not enough to calm the controversial Cockerill.

Sale's Director of Rugby Steve Diamond was not holding back either, pointing to Cockerill's numerous run-ins with match officials in the past as reason not to take him too serious.

Cockerill, Leicester's Director of Rugby, said the Sharks had consistently refused to engage properly at scrum-time.

And he blamed Diamond, the club's former hooker, for the problem.

"Sale were competitive but when sides come to cheat and cheat and cheat ....They were not engaging properly," Cockerill said.

"In the first half we had a scrum and we engaged and they just backed out and we got a free kick.

"I wrote that on the half-time card and the referee then warned them in the second half that they were not taking the engage.

"They just walked backwards, so we got a free kick. If that is how we are going to coach scrummaging, it's no wonder scrums are a disgrace.

"If Steve Diamond is coaching scrums like that we might as well go home because it's a waste of time.

"You watch Montpellier v Leicester where we had two scrums who wanted to push. It was a great contest. That today was an absolute debacle and hard for the referee."

Diamond, who clashed with Cockerill at the press conference, hit back, saying: "That's fine coming from an individual like Richard Cockerill. His controversies with referees go before him. It's for the referee to decide not Richard.

"I thought his side deserved the win. But if we want to go down the fine art decisions route there were four penalties in the last minute on their five-metre line where no yellow card was given.

"We have got equal things to discuss. He can bleat as much as he wants. Leicester should shut up, take the points and move on."